A member of the US House of Representatives recently used his platform to publicly question a NASA scientist about the existence of advanced civilizations on Mars. This would be an odd, trivial blip on the grand scale of things if it wasn't for the fact that a news outlet with close ties to the president hadn't recently began to question if NASA was operating a child slave colony on Mars.

This is baseless nonsense that—embarrassingly—has become part of the national discussion.

It's why l feel the need to reiterate that while it's fun to speculate about sci-fi-tastic scenariosup there, there is ZERO proof that the Red Planet currently—or has ever—sustained advanced forms of life. In fact, our best current evidence says that it would be extremely difficult for any life to take root on Mars.

The notion that those with access to power are—with some apparent seriousness—questioning the reality of Martian slave colonies is a symptom of a greater societal ill: people in positions of power who are anti-science. Those of all political persuasions are losing faith in the institutions upon which civilization was built. Challenging assumptions and questioning authority is a valuable instinct for a society to have, but this creeping cynicism has eroded faith in the scientific method itself—i.e. the mode of thinking that provides the greatest amount of clarity on the universe and the very thing that has made modernity possible.

That's not a good thing. Science is the method by which we can fix our problems and create new institutions. Without it, we might as well be living back in the middle ages.

"This anti-science thing that's going on right now cannot sustain itself. The question is whether the US will turn itself around before it gets worse," explains Billy Nye, professional "science guy" during a recent visit to PCMag's streaming interview show, The Convo.

While Nye is best known for his 90's television program, which educated kids about science, he has transitioned into a defender of science in an age when it's under attack from multiple angles. "Because what keeps the United States in the game economically is innovation. And innovation comes from science."

There's (probably) little need to worry that talk of phantom Martian slave colonies will result in any kind of errant policy decisions here on Earth. However, other tentacles of anti-science have real consequences—notably the organized movement to deny that our planet is irrevocably becoming warmer.

Spreading awareness of climate change has become a cause for Nye. The fact that he feels compelled to argue that the idea is legitimate is unfortunate considering these conclusions are supported by the vast majority of climate scientists and backed by decades of cold, hard data. That should be enough. If those in power choose to deny the facts provided by the scientific method and confront the problem, it won't only impact our way of life, it will undoubtedly diminish our country's standing as a whole.

"[Former Texas Governor] Rick Perry is now the head of the Department of Energy, a department he once proposed closing, but he is discovering thanks to professionals in the Department of Energy what the department does and it's important and new and cool," explains Nye. "We want to provide energy to everyone in the whole world renewably—principally from wind and solar energy—some geothermal and tidal energy. And we can run the whole world right now renewably. As a US native with a degree in engineering, I want the US to lead in this. Not run around waving my hands pretending the climate's not changing."

Science isn't just a set of facts that you were quizzed on in junior high (and which may or may not support your current worldview), it is the process that allowed humans to acquire those facts. Our brains and our senses are fantastic natural machines, but they are far from perfect. The scientific method is what allows humans to put aside our cultural, political, and personal biases to measure the data to see the world for what it truly is.

And yes, like any human invention, science can be misused—but it has its own built-in correction mechanism: Bad ideas can be fixed with more data and greater understanding. Bill Nye has spent the last three decades helping make the scientific method accessible to the general public. Now more than ever, we are in need of charismatic figures who can bridge the gap between the general public and the horizons of scientific understanding.

Bill's new book Everything All at Once is out now and tells the story of how this former aerospace engineer flirted with standup comedy and eventually became everyone's favorite TV "Science Guy." Check out the full episode of The Convo for a wide-ranging conversation on everything from politics and space exploration to Bill's apology for the 1990's-era CD-ROM game, Block the Rock.

About the Author

Evan Dashevsky served as a features editor with PCMag and host of live interview series The Convo. He could usually be found listening to blisteringly loud noises on his headphones while exploring the nexus between tech, culture, and politics. Follow his thought sneezes over on the Twitter (@haldash) and slightly more in-depth diatribin' over on th... See Full Bio

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